


A Fun Little Surprise

by Foxtrotbeastbot, hyenafur



Series: Cop and Baker [15]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Hockey, Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 07:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19763749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtrotbeastbot/pseuds/Foxtrotbeastbot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyenafur/pseuds/hyenafur
Summary: With wedding planning in high overdrive, Chief Bogo decides that his family could use a break by attending First Responder's Night at the Stables Center. But he has to get everyone on board.Collab work between Hyenafur and Foxtrotbeastbot





	A Fun Little Surprise

Martin Bogo sat drumming his fingers along the steering wheel as he sat in traffic. It wasn't like he'd never done that before. Zootipia's downtown area had been built well over a century before with carts and buggies in mind, which meant most of the streets were one way, save for the main thoroughfare running through the middle of the city. Letting out a heavy grone as he looked down at his watch, the old water buffalo shook his head. He was going to be late to pick up Ellie, but only a minute or two. The pull pressed the BlueFang button on the steering wheel of his Bruinly. The electronic voice chirped. "Welcome to cPhone Connect. Please say the number you wish to dial."  
"Call Ellie's School," Martin said in his usual gruff voice.  
"Calling. Ellie's School. Is this correct?"  
"Yes," the waterbuffalo said, eyes rolling around in his head.  
"Calling. Ellie's School." The voice replied in it's usual monotone.  
"UUUUUUUUuuuuuuuugh," Bogo replied as he heard the car start the dial tone. Luckily, his groan of frustration wasn't heard by the voice on the other end.  
"You've reached St. Marian's School. How may I help you," a soft voice answered.  
"Yes. This is Chief Bogo. Could you tell Ellie that I'm running late? I'm stuck in traffic and I didn't take the squad car this morning. I don't think I'll be longer than five minutes." Bogo replied, trying to not sound frustrated... like all the times Hopps and Wilde walked into his office.  
"Of course, Chief Bogo. I'll make sure she gets the message. Would you like her to wait for you with Mrs. Rowan?"  
"Yes. That would be best," Martin replied, his voice seeming to relax a bit.  
"I'll let both of them know. I'm sure Mrs. Rowan can keep her company until you arrive." The voice on the other end of the line said, still trying to sound chipper.  
"Thank you," the old bull faked a cordial voice before he hung up, only to return to his usual grumbling. "Should have checked out a squad car," he groaned, the traffic nearly bumper to bumper.  
Shaking his large, horned head, the buffalo reached down to turn the radio on. "Might as well listen to SOMETHING," he grunted.  
"And welcome back to MHL Today, only on AM 700, W-Zed-Oh-Oh! We bring out the Beast in Sports," the accented voice called out. The cadence and pronunciation immediately gave away that the person was Kanatian. Most likely a rebroadcast coming from up north.  
"The second day of the MHL season kicked off last night in Z'topia, as the Kings faced the Duwamish Osprees. Both teams were hoping for a big win last night after, what some might describe as last season's tragedy that put the Kings and the Osprees in the top of the draft. While the Kings were able to snag some real talent during the draft, the game itself was a quiet one until the middle of the second period, when Duwamish's John Pickard was able to sneak passed Z'topia's Guy Malinois. That set off a slew of goals in the remaining period and a half, eventually forcing Overtime and a shoot out. Unfortunately, Duwamish wasn't able to connect as Guy Melinois was able to stop Gaston Lebeste's shot, leading to Aleksandr Polarinksi's game winning trick shot that slipped passed Ospree Goalie, Dan Grizons. Ending the game 5 to 4 after double overtime."  
Bogo looked down at his watch. "Might explain why I caught Fangmeyer and Anderson asleep at their desks. And their bloodshot eyes," the buffalo grunted, shifting his car into drive to move another half yard forwards.  
"But the Game of the Night goes to the Saskwatomin Prairie Dogs with their win over defending champions, the Salt Lick City Roughriders. The Dogs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season during the barn burner Wild Card series against the Cape Carnivore Astronauts, and they came out with a vengeance against their longtime rivals. Although the lowest scoring game of the night, it saw Saskwatomin dominate the ice through all three periods. While star forward Logan Running Wolf scored three of the four Prairie Dog goals, the surprise of the night occurred when long time Skaciwani Pirates Player Kody Rowan managed to score the final goal of the game during a break away in the last minute of the third period."  
Bogo blinked, looking down at the radio. "Well that was lucky," he said as he moved yet another yard forwards in traffic.  
"Many on Chirper and Rollr continue to question the decision to bring the 36 year old forward up from the minors, but let's have a listen to the commentary from last night's game from AM 790 Cee-Kay-Pee-Dee out in Saskwatomin." The announcer stopped talking as the game audio took over the broadcast.  
"The Dogs have looked like a completely different team out on the ice tonight," the Kanatian commentator said with pride in his voice.  
"It's been almost two decades since they've had this much control of the ice," another voice responded quickly, making sure he got another word in, "And the Roughriders look absolutely frustrated, Tim."  
"That's right Jean. This game has not gone the way they expected it would," The first commentator replied before focusing back onto the game. "Oruka gets the puck from Whylde. He's looking for an open mammal. Less than a minute to go in the final period."  
"The Roughriders need this goal to force overtime," the second commentator said, stating the obvious, but his cohort continued the commentary.  
"Oruka still trying to find someone to pass to, but there’s a traffic jam in front of the Prairie Dog goal."  
"It's a six car pileup in front of the net. Oruka might just have to take the shot and hope one of his team mates can deflect it into the net."  
"Oruka holding onto the puck with 30 seconds left."  
"He has GOT to do something with that puck, Tim."  
"He knows, Jean, but it looks like he can't do anything as his teammates struggle to get into a better position with 15 seconds left on the clock."  
There was a slight pause from the commentators before Jean finally spoke. "Oruka passes it towards Vald."  
"AND IT'S INTERCEPTED BY ROWAN! ROWAN HAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF HIM! HE'S ON A BREAKAWAY!" Tim's voice was booming, trying to be louder than the screaming crowd around him, but the excitement was there.  
"He's still got to get passed the Roughrider's goalie." Jean pointed out, trying to keep his voice calm.  
"BUT ROWAN ISN'T STOPPING! HE'S PULLING SNOW OUT OF THE GOAL!"  
"Snow looking for a quick stop to keep the game at 3-2."  
There was another long pause, just before an overly obnoxious horn blew and an equally excited crowd let up a mighty cheer.  
"GOAL!" Tim screamed.  
"PRAIRIE DOG GOAL!!" Jean screamed as well.  
"AND ROWAN FLICKS THE PUCK INTO THE CORNER! RIGHT UNDER SNOW'S ARM WITH FIVE SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK!"  
The audio abruptly stopped only to be replaced with the MHL Today commentator's voice. "Saskwatomin would win the following faceoff, keeping the puck out of Roughrider hands." There was a pause and what sounded like some shuffling paper. "MHL Today will return after these important messages."  
The announcer's voice barely finished before the first advertisement played. "The Zootopia Kings would like to honor all First Responders next week on Friday, October 10th as your Zootopia Kings take on the Saskwatomin Prairie Dogs at the Stables Center Arena. First Responders and their families receive 75% discounts on tickets and 50% discounts on food, including suites. Tickets are limited so call now to reserve your seats at 1-500-GO-Kings! That's 1-500-465-4464! Or on-line through TicketKing.com!"  
"Damn," Martin blurted out as he mentally turned off the radio. "I completely forgot about that," the water buffalo grumbled to himself as he slowly turned his attention back to the road. The traffic in front of him was finally beginning to flow again after what felt like forever. "I'll have to ask Felicity about it, but I'd better make sure there's tickets left."  
Bogo pressed the BlueFang button on the steering wheel again after he'd finally managed to get the car going to 35 miles per hour.  
"Welcome to cPhone Connect. Please say the number you wish to dial."  
"Call one-five-zero-zero-four-six-five-four-four-six-four," the bull said as clearly as he could.  
"Calling. One-five-zero-zero-four-six-five-four-four-six-four. Is this correct?"  
"Yes."  
The dial tone came over the car's speakers as Martin turned the wheel, easing into a different lane as he headed towards St. Marian's School. The old buffalo had expected to deal with a phone tree and be there for a good 10 minutes, however, a female voice nearly immediately answered.  
"Zootopia Kings' Ticket Sales. My names is Gloria. How can I help you?"  
"Yes, Gloria. I'm trying to buy tickets for myself and my family for the game next Friday," Bogo said as he shifted lanes again.  
"All righty. How many tickets do you need to buy, sir?"  
Martin started to mentally do math. It would easily be him, Felicity of course, Ellie, Elise, Danny, and Will. No. On second thought, Will would be a bad idea. Although he and Felicity loved their otter pup, he was still a toddler, and the thought of Elise, Felicity, Danny, or even himself trying to keep the pup under control was not a pleasant one. "Five tickets, please."  
"And you're wanting them all together and in the same row?"  
"Yes. I'd like them together and in the same row," the old buffalo said. The fact she mentioned them specifically being in a row drew his suspicion that Gloria easily confirmed.  
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have five seats next to one another. The most we have are 3."  
"I'm sorry, but that won't work. Are there any other options available?" Martin inquired. There had to be a way to keep everyone together. Not that he didn't trust Elise or Danny, but Ellie could be quite a handful, especially if they took their eyes off her for even a second. "I heard something about suites."  
"Yes, sir. We do have several suits available for that evening in Tier A, B, and C. The owners are renting them out to parties that night."  
"How much are they," Bogo asked. It was an agonizing question. He'd heard about suites selling for as much as a new car, though that was when they were first built, not just for a single night.  
"Well, sir, right now the Tier A suit is available for $5,574.99 plus tax, Tier B is $3,257.99 plus tax, and Tier C is $2,949.99 plus tax."  
"Does that include the First Responder's discount?"  
"No sir, it doesn't. Those are the standard rates. With the discount, Tier A comes to $1,393.69 plus tax, Tier B comes to $814.49 plus tax, and Tier C comes to $737.49 plus tax."  
Martin hummed to himself. "Are there any differences between the three tiers?"  
"Yes sir. Tier A suits are larger and closer to the rink, but they also are fully catered to include alcohol which is part of the price."  
"How much larger?"  
"Tier A can seat up to 12, Tier B can seat up to 10, and Tier C can seat up to 8."  
"And are Tiers B and C catered?" It was a legitimate question.  
"No sir, only Tier A is catered."  
"All right, Gloria. One last question for you; if I have to cancel, what are the penalties."  
"There are no penalties for cancellation prior to 2 hours before the start of the game, that's when we usually allow general admission ticket holders in. You can reserve it now and cancel any time before then."  
Martin smiled. "I'd like to do that." That wasn't actually a bad deal at all. Even if Felicity said no, he could cancel without being charged.  
"All right, sir. Can I get a name?"  
"Martin Bogo."  
There was a slight pause. "Sir, I will need to put you on a brief hold."  
"All right," the buffalo said, a tad confused about why he was being placed on hold, but there was nothing he could do as the hold music began to play for around five minutes before Gloria came back.  
"Chief Bogo, it's Gloria. I’m sorry for placing you on hold, but I talked to my manager."  
Manager? He hadn't done anything wrong. Why was she talking to the manager.  
"And he has approved an extra discount for you since you are a city official. You will be getting the Tier A suite, but for the Tier C price. As I said before, the suite is catered and includes alcohol at no additional charge. Now to reserve the suite, I will need a valid credit card."  
"Of course, Gloria." Martin grinned. Being the chief does have it's advantages, though the bigger question was why hadn't he gone to one of these things before now?  
Five minutes later, after Bogo had stopped along the side of a street and read out his credit card number, the water buffalo had the suite booked for himself and his family. In all practicality, he probably would have spent about the same amount of money trying to get regular tickets on top of the appetites for three growing children. The only problem was how to win over his wife.  
The bull grunted at that for a second as he pulled back into the traffic flow. Making a few last turns, Martin pulled up to St. Marian's and turned off the Bruinly.

Ellie was laying out on her belly, a crayon in one hand and her cheek in the other as she studied her masterpiece. There could be no greater colorer in the world than her. She'd stayed in the lines perfectly. And not just on one page of the coloring book, but on four pages so far. The little gazelle had been so enthralled by both the book and the work that she'd completely forgotten that her step-father was running incredibly late.  
Marian Rowan let out a gentle sigh as she turned to look over at Ellie, but the sight of the plaid skirted doe eagerly coloring brought a smile to the badger's lips. She was sure that one day, her children would be doing that exact thing.  
Marian was both relieved by, and lucky to have the coloring book she'd given Ellie to use while they both waited on Chief Bogo to arrive. The plump badger sow always had a few in the storage closet for just these kinds of occasions. It probably helped that she had Kinglish coloring books which enthralled children on this side of the ocean, mainly because of how oddly spelled everything was, that and how potato chips were called crisps, chips were french fries, and candies were called sweets.  
Letting out another small sigh, Marian leaned back, placing a hand on her belly. "One day," she said softly, but not loud enough to pull Ellie from working on her next masterpiece. The teacher was just reaching her hand to call the front office when Chief Bogo walked in.  
"Daddy!" Ellie screamed, nearly leaping up from the ground to her long legs in one single motion before running up to him.  
Martin wrapped his arms about the fawn, giving her a loving squeeze only to gently bring her back down onto her small, cloven feen. "I'm sorry to have kept you so long, Mrs. Rowan. I was in traffic longer than I thought I'd be."  
Marian just shook her head. "That's quite all right, Chief Bogo. My husband knows that problem quite well. It's always a pleasure to have Ellie around. She is quite the sweet little fawn."  
The water buffalo smiled. "Thank you."  
"Mrs. Rowan," Ellie asked as she looked over at the badger.  
"Yes, dear?"  
"Can I take the coloring book home with me?"  
Marian giggled. "Of course, Ellie. I always let my students take their colouring books home."  
The fawn almost squeaked in glee when the badger said that, something that made Bogo let out a soft chuckle. "We should get home so you can color more."  
“Okay, daddy,” Ellie responded with a beaming smile before letting go of her father’s hand to grab her backpack. Quickly unzipping the main compartment, the fawn doe slipped her new coloring book inside before closing it back up and sliding the bag onto her back.  
“Thank you, Mrs. Rowan,” Ellie said, a huge smile on her lips that made the girl close her eyes.  
“You’re welcome, dearie. I will see you Monday morning, but in the meantime, I do hope you have a wonderful weekend.” The sow badger said with her own warm smile.  
“Thank you, Mrs. Rowan,” Martin responded for Ellie as he picked the little fawn up in his arms. There was a slight pause as he looked down at his daughter for a moment then up at her teacher. Something tugged on the back of the old cop’s mind, the wheels that hadn’t turned since his days as a beat cop.  
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but Rowan is an unusual last name for a badger isn’t it?” Martin inquired while gently putting Ellie back down on her cloven feet and taking her hand into his.  
“It’s my husband’s surname. I took his when we married, but mine used to be Forrester.” Marian responded, still smiling. “Robin and I come from very old Kinglish families.”  
The waterbuffalo nodded his head. It was probably just a coincidence that both she, the hockey player, and her husband all had the same last name. Not to mention that her husband was named Robin and not Kody, so he decided not to press the question further. “I was curious.”  
“Curiosity isn’t a crime, Chief Bogo,” the badger chuckled. “You’re far from the first person to ask about my husband and I.”  
“I probably won’t be the last either,” the buffalo let out a small laugh, almost completely forgetting that he was still in the Pre-Kindergarten room and holding his daughter’s hand.  
“Why are you laughing, daddy?” Ellie looked up at the waterbuffalo, utterly confused. Usually, when people laughed, they were telling a joke or someone got hit in the face with a pie like on the cartoons the fawn enjoyed watching. But her father was laughing when there was no joke. Or maybe there was? Grownups could be weird.  
Martin shook his head. “It’s nothing, princess. You’ll probably understand when you’re older.”  
The young doe just nodded her head in confused understanding.  
“Well, I hope you and your husband have a wonderful weekend, Mrs. Rowan,” the Police Chief said with a warm smile.  
“Thank you, Chief Bogo, but my husband is out of town this weekend,” Marian sighed.  
“Business?”  
“Yes. Keeps him busy for 9 months out of the year, but then I get him all to myself for the other 3 before it starts all over again.” The badger smiled back at the waterbuffalo before turning her head to look at an old picture on her desk.  
The bull nodded his head in understanding, just before Marian turned her attention back to him. “It’s not like we don’t see each other often, just not as often as we would like,” the badger paused, “And our mutual disdain for cold weather has not helped, since his job has him working in Kanata all the time.”  
Bogo nodded his head again. “Well, I hope he’s able to find something closer to home.”  
Marian giggled. “I hope so too. He’s been trying for years to get a job that’s closer to Zootopia, but his management loves him so much that they won’t let him go. We’re hoping that could change next summer.”  
The buffalo smiled. “I hope it works out for you two.”  
“Thank you, Chief Bogo. We’re hoping it does too.” The badger smiled. “I’m expecting him to be home again next week. You may end up meeting him when he comes to pick me up from work.”  
Martin chuckled. “I’d be interested in meeting a fox who married a badger.”  
Marian giggled. “Most usually are.”  
The bull smiled. “Well, I could keep this going for a bit longer, but I need to grab my son.”  
“Pulling him out of school early?” The sow badger raised an eyebrow.  
“Taking the kid’s to lunch. I’ll return him for practice.”  
“Ahhh. After Lunch Study Hall this year. Most of the older students try to arrange that so they can have a longer lunch or go home.” Marian knew the tactic well enough. There had been many siblings that had made sure to arrange their schedules so they could pick up their siblings from Pre-K and drop them off at home before taking lunch. “Well, please don’t miss lunch on my account. I hope you have a wonderful afternoon.”  
Martin smiled. “Thank you. We’ll see you bright and early on Monday morning, Mrs. Rowan. Won’t we Ellie.”  
“Mhm! Have a good weekend, Mrs. Rowan!”  
“Thank you, dearie.”

Danny had been leaning against the lockers outside the cafeteria, nervously checking his watch. He had a feeling his dad would be late, but it was bordering on half an hour and the young Rhino had really really wanted a nice long lunch period before the combined Boxing Class and Boxing Team Practice started at two o’clock.  
“You okay out there,” a voice asked from beside him. Danny knew that voice well.  
“Yeah, Barry. I’ll be fine. Just waiting on the Chief,” the rhino snorted, ears flicking about the top of his head.  
“Ah. Well. You know you’re welcome to sit with the rest of the team while you wait,” Barry Grizzwold pointed out. He probably should, but there was always a slight bit of tension at that table. Half of it was mostly due to the unbridled bravado of boxers; every one of them trying to be the best and show their coach how they should be the star boxer of the school instead of their other “teammates”. The other half was from two or three of them knowing that Danny liked other males after fishing around the bull rhino’s hard drive during a sleepover last summer. Luckily, they didn’t know that he specifically had a crush on the big grizzly that was talking to him at that moment.  
“Yeah. I know, but… it’s kinda late… and I don’t want to drag everyone down. Ya know?”  
The grizzly just shook his head. “Okay. Your loss.” He replied before heading back into the cafeteria.  
Danny let out a long, deep groan as he slammed his head back against the wall. Why did it have to be Barry who came out and talked to him? Barry Grizzwold, the cutest guy on the Boxing Team. Barry Grizzwold, who had that smile that could make Danny almost swoon. Barry Grizzwold, whose dad was a chemical engineer and mom was the second sweetest woman on the planet after his own mom, Felicity. It was enough to make him sigh even more as he stared right up at the white ceiling tiles.  
“Hey Champ!”  
“Hey Danny!”  
Oh thank god, the rhino though as was pulled out of his own mind by the familiar voices of Chief Bogo and his little sister, Ellie, echoed down the hall about 10 yards away. “Hey pop! Hey Ellie,” he called back before easing himself off the wall and walking towards them. “Thought you’d gotten lost.”  
“Not lost, just stuck in traffic.”  
“And talking to Mrs. Rowan,” Ellie chirped in before sliding her backpack off her shoulder and pulling out her coloring book. “She gave me this!”  
“Awesome, Ellie. You sure have a great Pre-K teacher. Kinda wish she’d been mine,” Danny said with a smile. From what he heard from Ellie, her Pre-K had been way more fun than Mrs. Ellefante’s, or at least from what he remembered of her class.  
“She’s the bestest!” The fawn replied with her own huge smile.  
“You two ready to go get some lunch?” Martin asked, though he probably knew the answer.  
“You have no idea,” the rhino sighed as his stomach let out a heavy grumble.  
“Mhm!” Ellie added, making sure everyone knew she was hungry.  
“Well, let’s head back to the car and figure out where we’re going to go.” Their father said with his own warm chuckle.

The inherent problem with having two children at two very different ages was figuring out where to eat. The fact all three mammals in the car were herbivores made the question of what rather simple. Ellie, of course, wanted a Cub’s Club Meal from Veggie King. Danny, who had grown well beyond meals targeted at children, wanted to grab a Royale with Cheese Meal from Big Macintosh’s. Bogo, on the other hand, just needed some where they could all eat and be happy. Looking up into the rear-view mirror, he finally proposed a solution. “Ellie, how about you pick today’s place, and Danny, you get to pick where we eat next Friday?”  
It was a fair proposition, and it wasn’t like the growing rhino couldn’t get the same basic quarter pound veggie burger at Veggie King, it just wouldn’t have the special sauce he liked. “Sure, pop. We can go to Veggie King, if I get to pick next Friday.”  
“Ellie?”  
“Okay, daddy.” The fawn smiled.  
“Now, don’t forget that it’s going to be Danny’s turn to pick where we eat, okay?”  
“I won’t forget, daddy. Mrs. Rowan says I have a great memory.”  
“Wonderful,” the bull smiled as he turned on his blinker to change lanes and head towards the nearest Veggie King.

One decently sized lunch line and ten minutes later, Chief Bogo, Ellie, and Danny were all sitting around a single table in the Veggie King’s interior. They weren’t the only family there, but they were the only mixed species one, drawing a few minor stares from other customers, though most were focused on the small mountain of food on Danny’s plate. Ellie, on the other hand, was giggling gleefully with a crown on her head and movie tie-in toy in hand, offering up some of her french fries and veggie nuggets to her new plaything.  
Bogo let out a small chuckle as he looked over at his two children. He remembered being both their ages. Vaguely, and through lightly rose tinted glasses. He’d of course gotten Foal’s Meals from Big Macintosh’s and played with the toys at the table. He’d also eaten his own weight in veggie burgers in High School, bulking up with the hopes of being a professional Rugby Footballer. A pipe dream since his father wanted him to be a ‘bobby’. And the day he was going to tell his father that he wanted to be a professional Rugby Footballer, a teammate named Baraka Msai, lost his balance in a scrum and fell onto his right leg, almost snapping it in half. Several painful surgeries later, he’d decided his father was right.  
“So,” Martin began as he looked between Ellie and Danny. “There’s a special event next Friday Night for First Responders and their families.”  
“What kind of special event,” Danny asked right before biting down on his second quarter pound veggie burger.  
“It’s a hockey match.”  
“What’s hockey?” Ellie chimed in after popping another veggie nugget into her mouth.  
“It’s a lot like Association Football,” Bogo started to say, but then saw the puzzled look on the fawn’s face.  
“He means soccer, Ellie,” the rhino said before Chief Bogo could change his answer. “But they play it on ice skates.”  
“How do you kick a soccer ball while wearing skates? Doesn’t that make the ball go ‘pop’?”  
“They don’t use a ball. They use a puck and they slap it around with sticks,” Danny answered before taking his second and final bite of the second burger he’d ordered.  
“That’s right, Danny. It’s a very fast game paced game,” the buffalo added, then took a quick sip of his soda.  
“But how is it a fast game if the field is so big?”  
“They use the same sized field that they use for ice skating over in Tundratown, princess,” Bogo answered. “It’s about the same size… field they use for indoor Asso… er… I mean soccer.”  
“Indoor soccer?” Ellie tilted her head slightly.  
“You remember that camp momma signed you up for in Tundratown last winter, Ellie? The one that was indoors and had like… 6 soccer fields?” Danny said, trying to jog his sister’s memory.  
“Oh yeah! I remember that! Those fields were teenie tiny!”  
“Yeah. They use the same kind of fields.”  
Martin was happy that Danny was there to save the day for him. “They just call them rinks instead of fields.”  
“Ohhh. Okay.”  
“I hear it’s a lot of fun to watch,” the water buffalo added.  
“Especially the fights.” Danny said with a grin as he picked up the third quarter pound veggie burger.  
“Fights?” The fawn inquired. “What fights?”  
"Bloody hell! I forgot about those! Of course Danny would bring up the fights," Martin’s mind screamed. “Sometimes, the players get angry at each other and start fighting on the ice.”  
“Yeah! They’re fun to watch. No real technique just throwing fists at each other until the referees make them stop.” The rhino was smiling, obviously having seen a few on the internet or while watching ZSNN.  
Ellie looked a little worried. “But I don’t want to watch fights.”  
“They don’t happen very often, Ellie. I’m sure there won’t be one on Friday Night.”  
“Promise, daddy?”  
“I promise, princess.”  
But Danny gave the buffalo and incredulous look, as if he knew the Police Chief had just sold his daughter the second largest hill of beans, the first being an actual tourist attraction in Bunnyburrow. “So,” the rhino said as he chomped into his third burger of the day. “Anyone we know going to be there?”  
“I’m sure we’ll see Fangmeyer and Anderson. Those two go every year. Maybe Clawhauser and his husband. I don’t really know for sure,” Bogo said as he leaned back in his chair.  
Danny gulped down the massive bite before taking a loud slurp of soda. “Who are they playing?”  
“I think they said the Prairie Dogs? I wasn’t paying attention to who they were playing, I thought it would be a nice, fun outing for all of us.”  
“Is Will gonna come, daddy?” Ellie asked.  
“Will is a bit too young, princess. We’ll take him to next year’s game when he’s a little older.”  
“Awh,” the fawn pouted.  
“The Prairie Dogs,” the young bull rhino said aloud as he took another swig. “Isn’t that the team that has the oldest rookie in the league?”  
“I think so?”  
“Well, it’s probably not going to be much fun then,” Danny grunted as he put down his drink.  
“What if I told you that they upgraded us to a suite?”  
“What!?”  
Bogo smirked. He had a feeling that would change the rhino’s tune. “Yes. I called earlier. They upgraded us to a Tier A suite. Fully catered.”  
“No. Flipping. WAY POP! Get! Out!”  
Danny was beside himself. Sure the game was probably going to completely suck, but the prospect of getting to see the other team getting steamrolled while being in a suite… well… that would make the whole outing worth it. Catered too!  
Bogo chuckled, knowing that the boy’s outburst had caused most of the other patrons to stare at their table. “I’m serious. There’s just one thing.”  
“What’s that, pop?”  
“I… haven’t exactly told your mother… so I need you to help me out on this case.”  
Ellie let out a little giggle as Danny shook his head. Of course he’d liken this to police work.  
“Sure, pop. I’m in. So is Ellie.”  
The fawn nodded her head enthusiastically.  
“Perfect. But Ellie, you have to promise me that you won't tell mum about it until dinner, all right?”  
“I won’t tell mommy until dinner,” she repeated, nodding her head. “But can I tell Elise?”  
“We’ll tell Elise before we try to get your mum involved. I’m sure she’d enjoy it.”

After dropping Danny back at school for his combination Boxing Class and Boxing Team Practice, Martin drove Ellie back home. The best part about being Chief was being able to head out early when needed. Besides, if there was an emergency, he had a cell phone. As they pulled up to the two story combination bakery and apartment, the old bull buffalo turned to look at his daughter. “Remember, Ellie, no telling mum about this.”  
The little fawn nodded her head in understanding. “Can I tell Elise?”  
Martin thought it over. “How about we both tell Elise.”  
Ellie grinned. “Okay, daddy,” she chirped right before slithering out of the back seat of the Bruinly and bolting for the door.

"I should probably lay off the pastries for a bit," Bogo said to himself as he tried to catch up to the much smaller, much more younger gazelle. She’d managed to get a good head start on him, slipping into the storefront, run-skip-jumping all the way that only a child could. The Bakery was crowded with the remains of the lunch rush, but Felicity’s ears still perked up at the sound of her daughter’s pronking.  
“Hi baby! How was school? Did you have fun with Mrs. Rowan?” she called, bagging up a wrapped packet of cookies for a tigress.  
“Yes! Daddy took us to Veggie King for lunch! I got a toy!”  
“Good for you honey. Now why don’t you head upstairs and change out of your school clothes. Elise laid out your favorite dress.” Felicity ruffled Ellie’s hair as she skipped into the kitchen behind the counter. Once her eyes landed on her fiance, the vixen smiled. “Thanks for going to grab the kids, Chief. We kinda got slammed here. Any problems?”  
“Got a little stuck in traffic, but nothing to fuss over.” Bogo leaned down to plant a kiss between her ears, chuckling as one tickled his chin with a twitch. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” He quickly moved aside as the large panther Tulio came through with a tray of fresh Pan Dulce.  
“‘Scuse me boss, hot tray!” he called. Bogo smiled. Tulio wasn’t a bad cat, considering he’d been the one to cripple Felicity’s leg over a decade ago.  
Slipping through the kitchen, he made his way up the slim staircase to the apartment door. Elise, who was sweeping up in the kitchen, looked up with a tight smile.  
“Hello Father. It is good to see you home.”  
“Good to be home Elise. How’d your day go? Any results from your college applications?”  
“Not yet. I do not think they will send me any responses for some time. But I will remain hopeful.” She paused in sweeping to grab the dustpan and smaller brush, kneeling down to gather the dust, flour and crumbs that inevitably gathered on the kitchen floor. “Little Ellie seems excited for some reason. More than usual. She said you had a surprise for us, but would not say what.”  
Martin felt one of his ears flick against his horn. “There’s a First Responder’s Night next Friday. I thought everyone might like to go.”  
“Oh? What do they do on First Responder’s Night,” the bruin asked as she slowly stood back up, dustpan in hand.  
“Play hockey.”  
“They make you play hockey, father?” Elise raised an eyebrow.  
“No. They invite First Responders to watch a professional hockey game,” the buffalo said with a slight chuckle.  
“Ah. And you wish us to attend. Will anyone we know be there as well?”  
“I know Officer Fangmeyer and Officer Anderson will be there. Officer Clawhauser and his husband might. Other than them, I’m not entirely sure.” Bogo responded. “I usually hear about it the next morning, whether I want to or not.”  
“And what has changed your mind about attending after not attending before?” Elize asked. It was a perfectly logical question.  
“Never had a family to take before. And being Chief, it’s usually frowned on if I spend time with my officers outside of work.”  
“What about the Police Officer’s Ball?”  
“That’s still considered work.”  
“Ah,” the bear understood. “So you wish for us to attend since you now have a family?”  
“Exactly.”  
“And you have not told mother about your wishes?”  
“I.. may have put it off until the last minute,” Bogo slightly mumbled.  
“I see. And you are telling me this before mother because?” That eyebrow curled up again.  
“I was hoping you would like to go.”  
“Father, I am not a cub,” Elise stated, “And you also know that I enjoy watching hockey. So I think that you are coming to me because you have done something that would warrant mother being upset and stopping your plan for all of us attending First Responder’s Night.”  
“Are you sure you don’t want to be a cop, Elise?” the bull buffalo asked.  
“I am quite sure, father. You know my passion is with the Arts.” the bruin replied. “And by your response, I am correct?”  
“Yes,” Bogo nodded his head. “I got us tickets to the game, but I haven’t told your mum about it yet.”  
“Just tickets?”  
There was that eyebrow again.  
“Tickets to a suite.”  
Elise’s expression changed from suspicion to shock. “A suite? Father, those cost $5,000.”  
Now it was Bogo’s turn to take control of the conversation. “Not on First Responder Night, and not when you’re the Chief of Police.”  
“You did not do anything illegal to obtain these, did you father?”  
The water buffalo shook his head. “They UPGRADED me. I only called to make sure I could get five tickets; one for you, one for me, one for your mum, one for Danny, and one for Ellie.”  
“I see,” the bear responded. “And you wish for me to be on your side when you have to explain everything to mother at dinner?”  
“I could use more support, yes.”  
“Hmm, Well, I could use a rest from college applications for one night. But Willie is too young to attend what I suppose will be a very loud and lively game. We will have to ask grandmother or one of our aunts or uncles to watch him for the evening. If it helps, I do not think Mother will decline. She has been very busy and could use a break as well.”  
Bogo let out a sigh of relief. It was sounding like he might actually pull the whole thing off. “So you’re in?”  
“I am ‘in’, father,” she said before heading over to dump the dustpan’s contents into the nearest trash bin.

Dinner couldn’t come soon enough. After waiting several hours for Danny to get home from practice, the family finally found themselves around the dinner table. Ellie was rocking back and forth in her seat, her long, slender legs swaying under her, almost bouncing against the cushion. Elise was sitting next to Will, trying to help the otter pup eat his dinner of peas and strained tuna as he squirmed and wriggled in his high chair. The freshly showered Danny was munching his own plate of alfalfa casserole, trying to not dig in after easily burning off three quarter pound veggie burgers and a large side of fries he’d had for lunch. Martin, on the other hand, was slowly picking at his own casserole, his eyes more focused on Felicity as she ate her Bugburger Helper.  
“Martin? Are you okay, honey? You’ve barely touched dinner and you’re so quiet. Is something wrong?” Felicity cocked her head to the side curiously, making one of her ears flop over, an endearing trait of hers that Bogo adored.  
The water buffalo shook his head, half waking him out of his own thoughts and half to acknowledge his fiancee. “No. No. Nothing’s wrong. Just have a lot on my mind.”  
“Did my brothers call about the wedding plans again? Ugh, I keep telling them, you’re not wearing a dashiki for the wedding, tradition be darned. You look better in a tux for heaven’s sake!”  
Bogo snickered. “I don’t know about that. I think I’d look rather fetching in a dashiki.” The bull replied, lightly teasing his fiancee. “But no. They didn’t call me about the wedding. I haven’t heard from them in almost two days.”  
“Good. It’s bad enough my mother’s got my sisters riding my tail to embroider my gown myself. I know it’s tradition, but I have a business and four kids! I can’t spend all day for six months with a needle and thread.”  
Danny snickered into his casserole at the image it presented.  
“Momma, we all know this wedding is gonna be great. But Pops has something else in mind.”  
Martin cleared his throat. “Yes. Yes, Danny’s right. Fangmeyer and Anderson are going to First Responder’s Night next Friday. I think it might be good for us to go as a family. Help us relax for a few hours.”  
“Oh, that Hockey thing that’s been on the radio? I never figured you cared much for it, not with your love of soccer and rugby. But the tickets are so expensive, not to mention the food and overpriced souvenirs. Even with the upkick in fall sales, are you sure we can afford it?”  
Bogo winced. There it was; the main concern in Felicity’s mind. Money. Not that he blamed her. For years, she’d had to support all of her children on a miniscule budget. Even after he’d agreed to share his bank account with her, she still pinched pennies like his grandmother during the War. “We can afford it, honey. First Responder Nights are priced so even the rookies can attend. They’ve discounted the seats at 75% off, even the suites. The food and drinks are 50% off. I know Clawhauser’s gone almost every year since he came on the force, same with Fangmeyre and Anderson.”  
“Please Momma? I’ve never seen a real hockey game up close before!” Danny piped up, leaning forward. Elise shot him a look, stamping on his foot under the table.  
“Me neither.” Ellie joined in. “I wanna see, even if the players fight. I’ll cover my eyes, promise!” Felicity cast a suspicious look over her family.  
“Why do I feel I was the last to know about this?” she sighed. “Look, I’m not heartless. If Martin says we can afford it, we can afford it. But we’ll have to get a sitter for Will. Those arenas are way too loud for him and you know how sensitive he is.”  
The cub in question simply laughed and dribbled out another gooey mouthful of mashed fish.  
“I’m sure your mum wouldn’t mind, Felicity. Or your sisters or brothers. I could see if my mum could come over and take care of Will. I know she wants to spend more time with him.”  
“Now there’s a thought!” Felicity perked up slightly. “My momma usually always gets first dibs at sitting, but your mom deserves to see her future grandkids too. Besides, momma and the girls are busy with my gown and all their own dresses for the wedding. Would you mind calling her and seeing if she can sit that night?”  
Bogo let out a warm laugh. “Knowing my mum, she’d insist on sitting Will the entire weekend. I think she’s already cleaned the Bingo Hall out four times, and her Females Only trip to Dos Equis isn’t until after New Years.”  
“I never pegged Grandmother Marge as a Bingo player.” Elise remarked in surprise. Danny nodded.  
“Oh yeah, she chilled out a lot after I kicked Grampa Harry’s-”  
“Daniel Matthew, we don’t speak of such things at the dinner table.” Felicity warned.  
“Sorry Momma. Anyway, Gramma Marge is cool now. She’s not as strict.”  
“She’s good at Bingo, but she’s the best Whist player that’s ever been,” Bogo mused, “It’s probably why she can’t find a Bridge group. I remember playing against her as a calf. She always won, at least until I started to understand the game more. I remember when I won my first hand of Whist against her.” The buffalo paused, “She made me play her every day after school and over every university and work holiday until I turned 35.”  
“Oof.” It was Felicity’s turn to wince. “And I thought beating Gloria in Poker when I was in college was rough. I think she was still your partner on the beat back then. But getting back on topic here; we’re all agreed on going to the game Ffriday night?”  
“Yes.”  
“Heck yeah!”  
“Me too! Me too!”  
“Agababaaba, Nana!”  
“Except you munchkin mouth.” Danny snickered, poking his little brother’s potbelly.  
Bogo let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Glad to hear it. It means I don’t have to cancel the suite.”  
“Cancel the What?!”


End file.
